Toronto, June 13, 2011 – MaRS client XYZ Interactive was one of three winners at the Plug and Play EXPO, held last Thursday at the Plug and Play Tech Center in Sunnyvale, California.

“The Plug and Play EXPO highlights the hottest companies in a series of brief elevator pitches, providing an opportunity for innovative, emerging companies to present to more than 100 VC investors and industry leaders,” said Canice Wu, president of the Plug and Play Tech Center. “As we expand the Plug and Play platform, we want to bring the best companies from around the world, such as XYZ Interactive, to Silicon Valley to gain the attention and investment that they deserve.”

XYZ Interactive has been working with MaRS advisors for the last two years to prepare its market entry and licensing strategy for its low-cost 3D positioning and gesture sensor technology.

“Our experience as a client in the MaRS Incubator helped us where we needed it most,” says Michael Kosic, CEO of XYZ Interactive. “As a small company, it’s not enough to have a great product. You have to focus your execution, as well as hone your pitch to get attention in the crowded and highly competitive global technology investment community.”

XYZ Interactive’s technology can be used for tablets, smartphones, eReaders and interactive displays, as well as for simple products like light switches, faucets and toys.

“We have been thinking about this space for eight years and intensely developing prototypes for the last two,” says Kosic. “Although we have already validated the need for our technology with a few key players in the consumer electronics market, this win will help reach other key customers and partners and get the funding we need to execute on these needs.”

The Plug and Play EXPO featured 36 promising start-ups pitching to over 100 VC investors. Each start-up had only three minutes to pitch their company. “Considering the global nature of the consumer electronics market, we are delighted to have one of our clients recognized in Silicon Valley for its innovative and disruptive technology,” says Krista Jones, Practice Lead in MaRS’ Information technology, Communications and Entertainment (ICE) practice.

About MARS
MaRS Discovery District (www.marsdd.com) is a large scale, mission driven innovation centre located in Toronto and networked across Ontario, focused on building Canada’s next generation of technology companies. MaRS works closely with entrepreneurs to grow and scale their ventures into global market leaders in life sciences and health care, information, communications and entertainment technologies, cleantech, advanced materials and engineering, as well as innovative social purpose businesses.

About XYZ Interactive
XYZ Interactive Technologies Inc. (www.xyzinteractive.com) was established in 2002, with the initial research focused on radio-frequency RF position sensing. XYZ Interactive Technologies Inc. provides a low-cost method to identify the absolute x, y, and z position of an object in space, as well as its orientation with roll, pitch, yaw. It has patent claims that cover the entire electromagnetic spectrum, with immediate market focus on Infrared embodiments with both Reflective and Active Applications.